Knockdown stool or the like



Patented Sept. 24, 1946 y UNITED STAT nNocKnowN sTooL on THE LIKE William c. Panzenchi'eago, 11,1. Application october so, 1944, serial No. 560,921

y 1 "This invention relates to knock-dow or the'like and more particularly such a 'stool made largely from sheet metal. f

Among other objects the invention aims to provide a simple and inexpensive structure for this purpose, the separate parts for which can be produced in large quantities from sheet metal at low cost and Iwhich parts may be assembled, say after shipment to a given destination, with extreme simplicity and-rapidity of operation, the location ofthe parts being advantageously predetermined -by interengagingformations thereon which not only prevents incorrect assembly but also speeds up the rate of assemblyand reduces the number of fastening elements required. At thesame time Vinterengaging formations and the minimum number of fastening elements contribute to enhance the appearance of the'stool and comfort -of use.

Theseand other advantageous objects will be readilyapparent from the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawing,

of an illustrative construction following the pres- -ent invention, andY in which drawing- Figure 1 is an elevational View of a stool embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l, and showing the interengaging formations between the stool top and the legs; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross-section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 and showing the interengaging formations between the band and the legs.

Referring in detail to the illustrative construction shown in the drawing, the stool ofthe present invention contemplates a minimum number of parts, and in this instancer the top I0, band H- and legs I2, of which there .may be at least three and commonly four. These parts may be advantageously formed of sheet metal and produced in 4 Claims. (o1. 155-194) n stools adjacent but spaced below its extreme upper-end and which provides a downwardly facing shoulder I'I and' an upwardly facing shoulder I8. The downwardly facing shoulder I' mates with the upwardly facing shoulder I9 on the skirt at the lower margin of viillet VI4 and the upwardly facing shoulder I8 supports the lower edge 20 ofthe skirt. Theextremey upper end 2l 'of the leg is receivedin the interior channel I5 produced by the embossed fillet I4. So constructed and ar-Y ranged'the various interengaging shoulders referred toare desirably still within the extreme outer periphery of the stool top as represented by the exterior face of the fillet I4. f

` Thus the downward stresses on the stool top are transmitted directly to the legs of the stool through the material of the top and leg themselves and particularly by the vetrically aligned interengaging'shoulders just referred to and without dependence upon extraneous fastening'means. yTo further enhance this desirable interfitting interlock, the extreme lowerk edge of the skirt I3 may be turned inwardly as at the flange 22 and the leg may be further channeled inwardly as at r3 to receive this turned-in edge 22.V

Turning now tothe intertting formations of the band II and legs I2, and as best shown in Figure 3, the band is extruded outwardly in a number of places, corresponding to the number of legs, as at the bulge 24, and the leg, which has an arcuate curvature as at 25, mates with this large quantities at low cost, for later assembly terior channel-like formation as at I5.

Each leg, at its upper end, has formations thereon adapted to interengage in a predetermined manner with the top formation just deseen from Figure 2, each leg has an inwardly offset portion or exteriorly channeled portion i6 Y scribed. To this end, as here shown, and as best Y bulge to predetermine the position of the leg circumferentially of the band. In .this instance, the stresses tending to displace the legs are lateral stresses ratherthan the vertical stresses which more frequently occur at the upper end of the leg, and these lateral stresses on the legs in the vicinity of the band YII are transmitted directly to the band by the shoulders which occur as at 26 at each side of the inner face of the bulge 24,

and again eliminating reliance upon extraneous fastenings for this purpose.

Thus in both instances, the normal stresses, namely the vertical stresses adjacent the upper ends of the legs and the lateral stresses adjacent their lower end, are accommodated by the intertting interlocking formations ofthe parts at these places respectively.

To fix the assembly, suitable releasable fastener'elements may be provided such as the single screw 21 here shown passing through the band bulge 24 centrally into the leg at this point and nut 28 which may be turned onto the screw 21 within the hollow part of the leg. Similarly at the upper end of the leg a pair of screws such as here shown at 29 may be employed which again are secured in position by the nuts 3D within the hollow interior of the stool top.

It will be understood of course that suitable perforations are provided in the parts at registering places therein when the legs are positioned as indicated by their interfitting formations in the top and band, and that thus as so guided by these pre-fabricated arrangements, the parts of the stools may be shipped each in bulk, with a minimum of space occupied thereby and the individual stools assembled from the separate parts as here shown with great accuracy and rapidity, in any quantity desired.

To further minimize the number of parts, the stool I is shown recessed on its upper surface as at 3l to a sufficient extent .to receive a nonmetallic part as shown at 32 to provide a seat secured in place by a suitable cement. The part 32 is preferably of a fabric or fabric-like material and of a layer extending not higher than the rounded rim 33 of the stool and thus being desirably flush therewith -to avoid danger of accidental removal of the part 32.

It is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to details of construction shown for purposes of exemplification of the invention and that such changes may be made therein as fall within the scope of the appended claims without departing therefrom.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a. stool embodying a top and at least three legs, the combination of a depending skirt on said top, interengaging formations on said skirt and each leg respectively, said interengaging formations including an exteriorly channeled portion at the upper end of each leg and a shouldered formation on said skirt matingly received in said exteriorly channeled portion, and fastener elements extending between said skirt and said legs respectively.

2. In a stool embodying a top and at least three legs, the combination of a depending skirt on said top, interengaging formations on said skirt and each leg respectively, said interengaging formations including an exteriorly channeled portion at the upper end of each leg, a shouldered formation on said skirt matingly received in said exteriorly channeled portion, a. further exteriorly channeled portion in said first mentioned channeled portion, and an inturned flange at the lower end of said skirt matingly received in said further exteriorly channeled portion, and fastener elements extending between said skirt and said legs respectively.

3. In a knock-down sheet metal stool embodying a top and at least three legs, the combination of a band encircling said legs, a depending skirt on said top spaced substantially above said band, interengaging formations on said skirt and each leg respectively, said interengaging formations including an exteriorly channeled portion at the upper end of each leg, a shouldered formation on said skirt matingly received in said eX- teriorlychanneled portion, a further exteriorly channeled portion in said first mentioned channeled portion, and an inturned ange at the lower end of said skirt matingly received in said further exteriorly channeled portion and whereby to predetermine the respective positions of the parts, screws extending between said skirt and said legs and between said band and said legs, and nuts on said screws.

4. In a stool embodying parts comprising a top and a leg, the combination of a depending skirt on said top, means for supporting said top on said leg by attachment of the upper end of the leg to the inside .face of the said skirt including interengaging formations on said parts, said interengaging formations comprising a channeled portion on one of said parts and a shouldered formation on the other part received in said channeled portion by relative lateral movement of the parts, and laterally extending fastener elements extending between said skirt and said leg, whereby the skirt outer face is uninterrupted by the leg upper end .and the downward stresses on said top are taken by said interengaging formations.

WILLIAM C. PANZER. 

